England women set for summer Super League

Central contracts
That change is one of several brought in by the Football Association (FA) along with the appointment of a women's performance manager to lead a new Women's Performance Unit and the introduction of central contracts for England players to dedicate themselves to national-team training progammes. The FA Women's Premier League currently runs during the winter months and produced 2006/07 UEFA Women's Cup winners Arsenal LFC as well as a successful national team.

Success
English women's football has already developed hugely in the last decade under the supervision of national coach Hope Powell. Not only did Arsenal become the only team to take the UEFA Women's Cup outside Germany or Sweden – a feat they hope to repeat this season as they face Olympique Lyonnais, FC Zürich Frauen and SV Neulengbach in the second qualifying round from 9-14 October – but England national sides are now regulars in major tournaments. Having attracted huge crowds when hosting UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™, the seniors reached the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-finals and can secure their place at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ by avoiding defeat in the Czech Republic and Spain this week. Meanwhile, youth teams have qualified for this year's FIFA U-17 and U-20 Women's World Cups.

'Step forward'
Powell said: "This is another massive step forward for women's football and the England teams. The new Super League will provide a concentrated, high-quality competition, and during the summer months give the game an exposure when there is no other top-flight football being played. I also hope that it will prevent our best players from joining the Women's Professional Soccer organisation in the USA. I am very confident that the new Performance Unit and central contracts will help us raise the bar further at the élite level and build upon recent successes. Our teams will now arrive at tournaments in early or mid-season, rather than at the end of a long nine to ten months, as was the case at EURO 2005 and in last September's World Cup in China. These are very exciting times for everyone involved in the women's game."